Listen and listen well. I have seen great destruction. I have seen the bodies of children devoured. I have seen the souls of countless people taken from them. I had been powerless because no one taught me that I could fight back against these abominations. So, I will be the first, I tell you…Take heart and use my teachings, my weapons, and my experiences to continue this battle. No…I vow it. I vow to the world, to the gods, and to all who came before me and all who will come after me that I will fight and hunt against the Night. I will hunt not for glory or honor, but because it is just and right. I give my body, spirit, soul, hatred, and my might to this vow. My burning resolve will never go out, even after I depart this world. I vow my lineage to this goal forever more until evil has been eradicated from this world. Take my brave heart, my children, for I will always be with you.
* The First Illum at the dawn of the Age of Jaegers.
* Recorded in “The First’s Legacy: speeches, essays, poems, precepts, and teachings of Ziegfried Illum.” Written by his daughter, Second Illum Sabrina Illum.
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Near a cavern at the borders of the Amberrosa region and Rune, the six hunting houses gathered. This was rare. It’s already extremely rare for more than two hunting houses to gather, let alone all the main houses.
To be considered a main hunting house, a minimum of 100 members, whether blood relative or not, were required. Of course, they also need to obtain a certain level of prestige in the annals of history.
House Zill is one of the only hunting houses to not have a guardian beast to represent them. Instead, their family crest is that of a drum, one that echoes the beat of their hearts that are ready for battle. They have risen among the ranks only recently to become a main house. Their inherited ather elements vary, but they are typically the common six. They have sent the most Jaegers at about 35 members, including Lord Gerald Zill, the current head of House Zill. With him is his son William Zill, the azure dragon and the pride of their ninth generation.
House Ashsong, the original knights of Aiolia, was one of the original hunting houses that came at the dawn of the Age of Jaegers. Their guardian beast is the proud lion. Members of this family are primarily born with the three common elements of flame, terra, and thunder/lighting, with a select few members inheriting two of the irregular elements of steel and ice. Lord Zameek Ashsong, who is next in line as head, is here representing his mother Lady Rae. He brought 15 of the most fit Jaegers of House Ashsong with him.
House Hollowfield, the wearers of white and black, had the most members of the six main hunting houses. Their guardian beast is that of the noble eagle. They are also one of the original hunting houses with many accolades. Their inherited ather elements are those of the common six, all the known irregular elements except rage (four are currently known), and two of the legendary elements. Lord Hollowfield wanted to be here but was unfortunately caught up in other hunts. Representing their lord is one of the many elders of House Hollowfield. They brought with them a measly seven Jaegers. Yet these are Jaegers of the highest caliber…or so they say.
House Wu-hime are the samurais of the principality of Rune composed of the strongest humans, dragoons, and onis of Rune. Other than House Hollowfield, they rival House Illum in strength and legacy. Their guardian beast is that of the fierce and protective panda. They, just like the Hollowfields, are varied when it comes to their inherited elements. House Wu-hime is more like a brotherhood than that of a bloodline house. Chieftain Oshi Roland, the head of the Roland clan, was sent to lead the brave Jaegers of Wu-hime as a proxy representative. The clan was the smallest and is the only human clan in the Rune region. They brought 15 Jaegers who were more on the younger side. These Jaegers looked hungry to prove themselves by getting the titles and glory that came with competing in this particular hunt.
House Bulwark served as the shield of Aiolia. They were known by a different last name, but they dropped that name in the wake of one of their leaders being possessed before wrecking havoc all over Aiolia thereafter. Their crest was changed to that of a shield, and they renamed themselves to House Bulwark. Their inherited elements are those of two common athers in terra and wood with two of the irregular elements in steel and blood. Lady Whitney Bulwark, the previous head of House Bulwark, insisted on joining this hunt. She brought 30 veterans with her.
And of course, the last house and the current strongest hunting house of the last few generations is House Illum and Clan Hathaway, their sister clan. Their guardian beasts were that of the wolf and owl, respectively. Blue was for the Illums and white was for the Hathaways. Fur represented their vows and commitment to the wolves while feathers represented the same for the owls. So how many Jaegers did the mightiest hunting house of Aiolia send? Four. They sent three scholars and one “Jaeger.”
Professor Albert Higginbottom was sent to represent Lord Sigurd as his proxy. He was a crowku, a bird person with black feathers and a regal beak. He was quite plum and wore clothes that matched his scholarly disposition.
Currently, he is with the other scholars that he brought with him and the other head representatives. Just behind him, currently sitting on a wooden trunk, is a boy wearing a long-sleeved dress shirt with a vest under his purple cap and cloak. He had no bracelet on any of his wrists and was acting out an existential crisis as he sat. He was the only Jaeger that House Illum sent. In reality, he technically isn’t even a Jaeger yet. This hunt would be his first official one. This hunt was his test hunt for the rite of passage ceremony in his family.
“I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die.” Those words were repeated over and over, making sure he was heard by all in the room. He was rocking back and forth as he sat on the wooden trunk. He looked towards the house representatives to see if they were looking at him. He grabbed his cloak and wrapped it around himself tightly. No one told him it was going to be this cold. But the shivering helped the image he was portraying.
“We are wasting too much time here. It doesn’t matter what happens to her. We need to go in and take them all out before they summon their god.” Lord Zill slammed the table that held a map of the area and other papers.
“Lord Zill, do you think I do not know that? We were asked by the client in general to see what happened to her. If she has gotten possessed by the Rakshas, it’s imperative we break their hold over her.” Professor Higginbottoms held a few stacks of papers and gestured them towards the other representatives.
“This doesn’t look like any regular possession,” Lady Bulwark replied. She had a stern and serious face when it came to talking about possessions and the like. “But I think I can brea–”
“Excuse me? You and your sorry excuse of a house know all about possessions and are experts. Tell me again how you broke the demonic possession of your ancestor and protected the purity of your house,” the elder sent by House Hollowfield scoffed, “Oh wait…that didn’t happen. Your house was sullied by the possession they couldn’t break, oh great House Balom–”
Lady Bulwark leaped towards the Elder and started to wring his neck just as he was about to drop House Bulwark’s forbidden family name. These two elders had already been bickering the entire day and a half. There also seemed to be a lot of history between these two.
Prof. Higginbottom sighed in frustration and threw the stack of papers back onto the table. Lord Zill ordered his son to intervene between the two elders. And with the help of Lord Ashsong, they were successful in stopping another fight.
“I agree with Lord Zill. We must act immediately. Lady—Harriet is a traitor to all of Aiolia. We must not falter and strike her down alongside the Raksha,” Lord Ashsong said as he held back Lady Bulwark, who was still huffing and puffing.
“But if she’s possessed, we could bring the mystical hold over her and gain her strength,” Prof. Higginbottom retorted. “I think we are on the cusp of figuring out her possession. Right Bart—”
The Prof. turned to the boy, who was still rocking back and forth, looking at the ground. The Prof. snapped his feather fingers and broke the imposed trance the boy had placed himself into. “Bartholomew!” The boy looked at his uncle and the other Jaegers in the tent.
“Yeah,” he said with no confidence.
Bartholomew “Bartz” Illum
Age: 15
Sixth Son and Ninth Child of Sigurd Illum.
Inherited Ather: Holy
Student of the Illum style, ather manipulation/protection under Blaive Illum, the Aegis Bastion.
Titles: The Coward of Lumencia. Student of Blaive.
“THIS IS A CATACLYSMIC EVENT!” Elder Hollowfield screamed while still in the arms of William Zill. “THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO END AND WE ONLY HAVE A MEASLY HUNDRED JAEGERS TO DEAL WITH THE HORDLES OF RAKSHA.” The Elder kept squirming around, trying to break free from William. “Only 30 percent of our forces are trained veterans from the older generations. The rest are all ninth generation new bloods. Weaklings!”
Lady Bulwark herself began to nod in agreement, now forgetting about harming the Hollowfield in front of her. Chieftain Oshi Roland twitched at the blatant disrespect the elders had shown towards the younger ninth generation Jaegers. Under his command, he brought most of the new blood and wanted to speak his mind. But he ultimately decided to hold his tongue. Instead, he exhaled a breath to calm himself down.
Elder Hollowfield turned his gaze towards Bartz with contempt oozing off every pore from his face. “And the so-called strongest of us sent us a group of bookworms and a coward, the biggest weakling here!”
The elder motioned William to let him go, then quickly arranged his clothing back into place. “On his first hunt, mind you.” Bartz grabbed his cap and pulled it down, trying his best to cover his face and the pressure of being in House Illum. “And where is Lord Sigurd? He should be here.”
Lady Bulwark again nodded in agreement with this question. Even Lord Zill seemed to feel the same way as the other two elders. There had been rumors of Lord Sigurd’s dwindling health, that the once proud and strong Jaeger was no more, that time and age had hit him harder than any creature of the Night had ever done in the past.
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“Where are your bastions? There’s 12 of those blasted fools. Anyone other than that useless boy is better! You basically sent a reject to fight for all of humanity.”
The fear had left Bartz. In its place, a ticked off expression had broken through. He was about to curse at the Hollowfield elder when Prof. Higginbottom squawked at the elder, causing Bartz to remember himself and the situation he was in. That caused him to start acting fearful again.
The crowku had finally had enough. Prof. Higginbottom exploded in anger and pointed his feathered finger towards the elder of house Hollowfield. “By the First! Jeremiah, you need to watch your tongue when you speak to my nephew.” He wasn’t going to let anyone speak towards his nephew that way, as if he was born without ather. Prof. wasn’t a Jaeger anymore, but he is going to fight regardless to defend Bartz and House Illum.
Bartz started to chew on his nail. Yes, he was a coward, a coward by choice. He didn’t want to live this dangerous lifestyle that he felt was forced on to him seven generations ago. Like all members of House Illum, he was tested to see if he was born with ather using a special rock from Mount Hociri. He would push his spirit or life energy into it. Most people took this test at quite an early age, so the idea of “pushing your life” into these special rocks didn’t really make sense at the time.
But that’s the thing. Ather is life. Ather exists in plants, animals, and even some objects and weapons. They exist especially in all the creatures of the Night. Even if Bartz or other soon to be Jaegers didn’t exactly comprehend the idea of pushing ather, their body, spirit, soul, and mind all subconsciously knew what it meant. And that causes a chain reaction once they held the Hociri rocks.
Once held, the rock would either glow a specific elemental color or wouldn’t react at all. Those born with no ather were known as “the ones rejected by the Gods.” They were otherwise known as rejects, burdens to society. To be a reject in the Age of Jaegers was a death sentence in its own right.
Rejects statistically lived shorter lives compared to their ather counterparts and are still to this day looked down upon as a whole. Of course, it is different for hunting houses. Rejects born into a family of Jaegers are protected for the rest of their lives, but they face the same hardships that other rejects do with the added “benefit” of feeling shame because they are hindrances to their family name and lineage.
Bartz’s rock glowed brightly and, to his cringe, many of the elders and older family members were ecstatic. He appeared to have high levels of ather like that of Sigurd’s first born, excellent and natural levels of ather control like Sigurd’s seventh born, and all of that was gauged by some dumb rock located at the mountain closest to the sun.
To make matters even worse for the so-called coward of Lumencia, his Hociri rock glowed white with a blue outline. They are the colors that represented the legendary light ather known as holy, an inherited ather element that was unbelievably common in House Illum but was extremely rare in other family lineages and in general.
The First Illum was born with three ather elementals, something that has only happened four other times in Aiolian history. To be born with two elements was something that barely happened, yet there were a few lucky ones. Meanwhile, the First Illum was one born with three: holy, flame, and steel.
Holy was his strongest ather, the main element he passed down in his lineage. That was one reason for House Illum’s dominance in the Age of Jaegers. Although flame was part of the six common athers in the elemental wheel, it is considered (and to this day still debated on) the strongest of the common six. Even if a member of House Illum inherited flame over holy, it was still a valued ather and was still respected by all in the family. The third element passed down by the first was that of steel, or strengthening one’s self and objects to perfection, being indomitable to everything, and having natural resistances to poisons and diseases.
It was one of the oddest athers in the elemental wheel and part of the irregular elements. Steel users didn’t throw out energy attacks. Instead, they had their ather punch things harder than anyone else could. They can also survive longer than anyone else could. Users who inherited steel were the hardest Jaegers to kill. Only a few members of House Illum in all eight generations inherited steel ather, but the ones that did left a long-lasting impact in the legacy of House Illum, just like the Seventh Illum, Elder Nan did with her steel ather.
Bartz wouldn’t have minded living the rest of his life as a reject. If it were possible, he would love nothing more than to give his athers away to his half-siblings that were “rejected by the gods.” It just wasn’t possible unless you made a deal with a demon, but then you would be hunted down by your own family for such a dishonorable act.
Either way, he had inherited holy. And that was considered a blessing given by the First, the highest honor one could have in his family. The expectations and pressure alone weigh heavily on the young Illum’s mind since he became sentient to his own thoughts.
More like cursed. He thought as he continued to watch the older generation in front of him bicker, argue, and squabble amongst themselves.
Chieftain Oshi slammed his huge fist onto the table. “ENOUGH.” His deep voice boomed and echoed throughout the tent. Chieftain Oshi was a tall, broad human with dark brown skin. His clan, the Rolands, was originally a noble house in the Amberrosa Kingdom. But they have since seceded many years ago.
They joined the Principality of Rune and became a part of the lesser tribes. The main race of Rune is that of the mighty dragoons, ancestors of the mythical dragons that once flew in the airs of Rune. Full born dragoons had draconic faces and scales for skins, which can come in many colors depending on their lineage.
Half-dragoons, meanwhile, would be born with certain characteristics and features inherited from their dragoon parent. These dragoons and the tribes of Rune follow the traditions and customs of bushido or honor.
Clan Roland adopted many of the customs and clothing of the dragoons, fusing them together with their original customs when they were a part of the Amberrosa Kingdom. They became a clan that was part knight and part samurai.
The Chieftain knocked down a bundle of papers that were stacked on the table along with a few other knick knacks.
Chieftain Oshi may have looked human in his facial features, but he also has dragoon blood in him. His size and muscle mass were that of a full born dragoon given his wide shoulders and broad muscles that ripped through the cloak he wore. All that matched his deep voice. He even had dragoon scales on his shoulders. Everyone in the tent stopped what they were doing and looked towards the Chieftain.
“None of this arguing is going to change anything. We don’t have enough information about Harriet’s possession, if it even is one. We don’t have enough manpower to take on the horde of Raksha that has gathered in that carven. We are screwed, no matter what we do right now. So, let’s just get in there and risk our lives against the Raksha, defeat the traitor, and save Lady Esmeralda. Let’s just do what we know we can do…be Jaegers and hunt the Night.”
Chieftain Oshi cleared his throat and began to meekly pick up the papers and items that had fallen onto the ground by his sudden outburst. The other leaders of this operation stood in silence and accepted the truth in the chieftain’s words. They are Jaegers and they are all ready to put their lives on the line to end this catastrophe right in front of them.
Bartz had suddenly realized that he was off the trunk. He was now cleaning up the mess caused by the chieftain of Clan Roland. It was surprising to him that he was helping out at all. Surely it was the outburst that put fear into him to help.
He didn’t have a duty or responsibility to help clean this up. Nothing was pushing him. No stupid vow from his ancestors made him want to give aid to the chieftain. He was selfish and had no honor.
I’m a coward. He thought to himself as if he needed to reassure that he was one. Damn it, I need to get back to looking unfit to fight. He began to lower the speed with which he picked everything up. He made sure to visibly show his hands trembling.
The chieftain grabbed one of the papers near Bartz and softly said, “Thank you… um?” He forgot the boy’s name. “It’s Bartz, sir,” Bartz replied. Make sure you forget it again! Bartz pleaded in his mind. He couldn’t help but feel a warm aura around the broad man.
As Bartz wished the chieftain would forget about him, the chieftain was lost in thought as he stared at the boy. It was as if he was on the cusp of remembering something about the boy and who he was. Prof. Higginbottom knelt beside the chieftain and tapped his shoulder with a feathered finger. “Allow me Chieftain Roland.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you, Albert.” The chieftain rose from the ground, losing the thought he was about to remember.
Prof. Higginbottom knelt beside Bartz, taking the chieftain’s place to begin organizing the papers. The Professor placed his feathery hand on his nephew’s shoulder once he felt everything was accounted for and in order.
“Do not fret Bartholomew. I know how dire it must seem right now, but Lord Sigurd himself assured me there are still members of our family that are on their way. There is still hope.”
Hope. Bartz sighed and patted his uncle’s hand before whispering, “Uncle Higs, I don’t think there’s any plan or person that could give me or anyone else hope in this situation.”
He wasn’t completely lying. There were a few people in his life that could inject hope into his soul. His mind went straight towards his father. Regardless of the rumors and how others felt about Lord Sigurd, he was an exceptional father and Jaeger.
As of right now, Lord Sigurd has 27 children, with one of those children exiled from the family. Some shared the same mothers, but most of them were half-siblings from different mothers that consented to making the second prophecy come true. 26 of them were his biological children while the remaining one was an adopted child being that of an elf from a noble family wiped out by the Night. The oldest of Sigurd’s children is currently 21 years old while the youngest was 4 years old. You would think fathering many children would make it difficult to BE a father to all of them. And it would for any normal person, but Sigurd Illum was not a normal person. He was a descendant of the First Illum after all.
He has always made time for all of his children when he was free. Heck, even when he was busy, he would play hooky and escape his lord obligations and duties to face his obligations and duties in fatherhood. He had passed down certain objects and items to his children as gifts. Bartz, whom Sigurd always knew didn’t want to face battle, was given the satchel Sigurd once used in his youth. Bartz would always remember the day he was given the satchel. His father entered Prof. Higginbottom’s personal library, where Bartz would usually be hiding and reading the day away.
“This bag here–”
“Father, that’s a satchel,” Young Bartz corrected Sigurd.
“Okay, this satchel carried me through my childhood like it carried the things I placed in it. I want you to have it. It’s magical in its own way and will protect you when I’m not there.” Sigurd smiled as he handed down the item of his youth to his son.
The satchel as of this moment carried all of Bartz’s important items, books, herbs, and even a few snacks. It was Bartz’s prized possession, and one he didn’t want to live without. It’s a constant reminder that his father loved him and that he would be there for him…a constant reminder of the pressure that is being a member of House Illum had. But despite that, it’s an item that he didn’t mind having on his person at all times.
His father wasn’t really here, and he wasn’t coming either. So, sadness washed over Bartz as he placed the papers and items back on the table. Bartz did try his best to help the Prof. and other scholars, but the theories they came up with weren’t of use. At least it looks like I tried, not my fault. It was to no avail.
The only real hope left would be that after their failure here, other Jaegers around Aiolia could rise up and defeat the evil that was currently being created. But he knew the rules. He knew that creatures of the Night broken from seals, created by sacrifice, and summoned to this plane of existence are at their weakest at the moment of their return. They will gradually regain their true strength. They had to route the Night here. They were the last line, the final spark of hope being blown away by the Night, the same Night that has made the sixth son of Sigurd Illum look dejected. The last flicker of hope Bartz had finally disappeared.
Damn it, there’s nothing we can do–
The flap of the tent opened. For a second, he thought he felt the aura of his father, his warmth, and his love. Then, that turned into feelings of his older brothers, of uncles like Higginbottom that would be there for him. But it wasn’t anyone like that.
Instead, a young man with white and silver hair styled in a middle part, with two feathers on a piece of jewelry clipped into the side of his hair appeared. His eyes suffered from a strong case of heterochromia. His right eye was colored silver, almost a snowy white. His left eye was colored a calm royal blue. Over his eyes, he had thick black eyebrows.
He wore silver armor over his blue and white clothing, which were traditional clothing that his clan had crafted. He wore a blue scarf with white lines in a horizontal pattern loosely around his neck, a scarf gifted to him by his parents on his 13th birthday.
He carried a long sword on his waist, with a custom made long katana style hilt, seemingly for more space to grip. Either way, it was custom made and whoever made it knew what they were doing and why it needed to be that way for the young man.
But even with his appearance and strange weapon, what everyone really looked at was his right arm. At his wrist, he wore an Illum bracelet. Bartz broke out into a smile. In his panic, he forgot that there was one more person that could light the flame of hope that had just been blown out.
“Cecil!” Bartz, the Prof. and Chieftain Oshi exclaimed in unison.
Cecil Hathaway
Age: 16
Nephew of Sigurd Illum, Cousin to Bartz.
Inherited Ather: Holy.
Master of the Hathaway style techniques and ather abilities.
Titles: The Scion of Clan Hathaway. The White Paladin.
Cecil stood with his hands on his hips and gave the two members of his family a warm smile. “Sorry I was late. Uncle Sigurd called me last night. I had to rush here from my last hunt.” He walked forward near the table and finally acknowledged the others in the tent. He gave them a look of confidence and a cheeky grin.
“So…what are we hunting?”
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